The Iron Forest was several times larger than the first two passes combined, and that didn't even include the residential areas. Li Chonglou felt like he was searching for a needle in a haystack as he walked across the grassland.
"If I remember correctly, this plain alone is fifty kilometers wide."
Li Chonglou shook his head and suddenly looked at the little white creature in his arms.
"Do you have any intelligence at all?"
Holding Xiaobai up in the air, Li Chonglou examined its eyes. They darted around left and right, appearing quite lively, much like a cunning old fox.
Seeing Xiaobai's shrewd appearance, Li Chonglou felt a flicker of hope. He said to it,
"Can you help me find people?"
Its shifty eyes continued to scan its surroundings.
Li Chonglou's brow furrowed slightly, and he asked again.
"Can you understand me? I want you to find people."
This time, Xiaobai stopped looking around and stared directly at Li Chonglou with its large eyes.
Alright, he finally understood. This thing was an idiot.
However, just as Li Chonglou was about to give up and tuck it back into his arms, Xiaobai suddenly struggled, dropped to the ground, and took off running with its short legs.
Li Chonglou was stunned and hadn't reacted yet when Xiaobai suddenly stopped, looked back at Li Chonglou, and then seemed to communicate with its eyes,
"Come on, why aren't you coming? Keep up."
Li Chonglou's face lit up, and he quickly followed.
He hadn't expected this little thing to be useful, so it wasn't like he had taken it for nothing.
Xiaobai, leading the way, had no idea that such a small gesture would completely change Li Chonglou's opinion of it.
At this point, Li Chonglou realized that Xiaobai's speed was not slow at all. Ordinary horses and cattle wouldn't be able to keep up with it, and its speed seemed to increase as it ran, as if it were getting accustomed to its body or improving through running.
Li Chonglou's expression turned serious when he noticed this. If it was the latter, then Xiaobai was a bit terrifying.
Without needing nutrition or external energy support, it could grow so quickly solely on its own potential. If that were truly the case, it would also indicate that Xiaobai had a very high ceiling.
It was like Yu Yiku, who could be considered a negative example. If someone with high talent were in her position, they would likely fully master their body in the very next battle.
However, Yu Yiku had not even fully grasped that power by the time everyone parted ways.
For a moment, Li Chonglou became quite interested in Xiaobai.
About half an hour later, just as dusk began to settle, Li Chonglou finally saw a cluster of houses in his field of vision.
Actually, "houses" wasn't quite accurate. What appeared before him were rows of connected tin buildings, simple in style, seeming to be temporary shelters.
But as Li Chonglou approached, he noticed three patrol teams outside, all fully armed soldiers with helmets, assault rifles, bulletproof vests, and boots, appearing much more professional than the staff at the yellow house he had seen earlier.
The moment the two parties spotted each other, the three patrol teams immediately surrounded him with their weapons raised.
"Halt! Don't move!"
From a distance, a leader from the other side shouted towards them.
Li Chonglou had no choice but to call Xiaobai to a stop.
Xiaobai, cooperating perfectly, hopped back into Li Chonglou's arms and then let out a low growl towards the distant figures, showing vigilance.
"Don't worry, I'm here," Li Chonglou said, petting its little head. Xiaobai immediately became docile, nuzzling his palm affectionately with its fluffy little head.
Whether it was because of his words or not, Xiaobai looked happy at that moment, its mouth stretched almost to its ears.
However, after seeing him stop, the other party didn't approach but shouted from afar.
"Show us your kilogram bomb, and use this to temporarily disable it."
After speaking, the person produced a launch tube and conjured a purple device from nowhere, which landed precisely at Li Chonglou's feet.
"This level of skill..."
Li Chonglou's eyes widened slightly. The artillery skill of these soldiers was top-notch; they were likely ace marksmen in any unit.
However, he had seen clearly just now that this person was merely chosen at random by the leader.
This meant that any of the three patrol teams might have soldiers with this level of skill. If that were true, then the quality of this residential area could be imagined.
Li Chonglou followed the instructions, picked up the purple device, and then unbuttoned his shirt to reveal the kilogram bomb.
The purple device was actually a bottle of freezing spray. Li Chonglou sprayed it on the fuse as instructed. As a coolness spread through his skin and into his senses, the kilogram bomb visibly began to freeze.
Perhaps seeing the light reflected by the ice crystals, the three patrol teams approached slowly, holding flashlights.
"Name, abilities."
A non-commissioned officer holding a notebook and pen walked up to Li Chonglou and asked instinctively.
When he looked up and saw Xiaobai in Li Chonglou's arms, his face immediately lit up with joy. He quickly added,
"Is that a Sacred Beast? Have you completed your mission?"
Sacred Beast again? Li Chonglou's brow furrowed. He figured this must be Xiaobai's codename. Although he still thought the codename was a bit exaggerated, he didn't say anything at this moment, merely nodding.
The man, who appeared to be a sergeant, suddenly grinned and put away his notebook.
"Since you have a Sacred Beast, there's no need for records. Come with me."
The man turned and gestured for Li Chonglou to follow.
Only then did Li Chonglou realize that Xiaobai was actually a 'hidden item'. He still didn't know what benefits this 'hidden item' could bring him.
As he walked with Xiaobai among the patrol team, he clearly noticed the joy on everyone's faces.
"It's actually a Sacred Beast! It seems our Dark Division can contend for the rankings this year."
"Yeah, it's been so many sessions since we've had participants with Sacred Beasts. Hmph, this time we'll definitely show the Light Division!"
Everyone began to chatter, and Li Chonglou gleaned much information from their words. Dark Division, Light Division? Hearing these names, he knew they were mortal enemies.
Could he be this unlucky? Before the competition even started, he had gained unknown enemies...
And from what everyone was saying, it seemed there were unwritten rules to the competition in the Iron Forest?
This was something he hadn't inquired about before. So, Li Chonglou couldn't help but curiously ask the previous sergeant, "Don't I just need to follow your people into the Iron Forest? Are there any other tasks?"
The sergeant chuckled and replied, "There are many hidden twists and turns in here."